How to Survive a Robot Uprising: Tips on Defending Yourself Against the Coming Rebellion

How do you spot a robot mimicking a human? How do you recognize and deactivate a rebel servant robot? How do you escape a murderous "smart" house, or evade a swarm of marauding robotic flies? In this dryly hilarious survival guide, roboticist Daniel H. Wilson teaches worried humans the secrets to quashing a robot mutiny.

If you want a crash course in robotics advances and a bit of humor with it, this is a fun listen. Not only does this cover the humorous "what if" scenarios of robots one day trying to rise against humans, but it covers many of the capabilities that robots currently have (sensors, mobility, communication) in the world today.

I got this one as kind of a guilty pleasure (surrendering to my geekier side) and found myself learning a lot as well as laughing. Those that enjoy sci fi movies will find lots of references to pop culture movies (Star Wars, Terminator, I Robot). I found it particularly amusing to hear these movies referred to more as historical documents rather than "way out there" movies.

The narration can be a bit monotone, but it kind of goes with the dark overtones of the humor in the book.

If you take things in life really seriously, you probably will find this annoying and purile. If you are willing to give into your inner geek and inner child, I think you are in for a few enjoyable hours of audio.

The Road

America is a barren landscape of smoldering ashes, devoid of life except for those people still struggling to scratch out some type of existence. Amidst this destruction, a father and his young son walk, always toward the coast, but with no real understanding that circumstances will improve once they arrive. Still, they persevere, and their relationship comes to represent goodness in a world of utter devastation.

I found myself unable to stop listening to this book. This is a heart-felt father and son tale in a post apocolyptic world.

You never learn how things "collapsed" and it really doesn't matter. The story is about the fathers unfaultering desire to protect his son's innoncence in a world gone to hell. Its a story that teaches to find hope in your hear regardless of circumstance- that the things you value are worth fighting for even if you dont really know why anymore.

The descriptions of the environemnts and thoughts are so rich and enthralling you find yourself feeling the bleakness the characters are experiencing. The narration sytle plays along with this perfectly with the story.

When I finshed the first listen all I could do is wipe a tear from my eye and hit the "back" key on my MP3 player to start it again...

World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War

The Zombie War came unthinkably close to eradicating humanity. Max Brooks, driven by the urgency of preserving the acid-etched first-hand experiences of the survivors from those apocalyptic years, traveled across the United States of America and throughout the world, from decimated cities that once teemed with upwards of 30 million souls, to the most remote and inhospitable areas of the planet.

Being a lover of zombie movies, I burned a credit on this as a guilty pleasure.

Good choice.

This is a great look into the Zombie Genre because it explores what zombie movies are really about- not the zombies- but the things human beings will do for (and to) each other in horrific life and death situations.

I was especially surprised by all of the different narrators- Alan Alda & Mark Hammil especially. The "typecasting" of the different actors made a big impact on the delivery.

All in all, very happy you will be if you are a zombie fan. If you are on the edge, give it a shot- I doubt you will be disappointed.

The Little Book That Beats the Market

Can you spare three hours to learn how to beat the market? As unlikely as it may seem, hedge fund manager and professor Joel Greenblatt, whose investment firm has averaged 40% annual returns for over 20 years, can teach you how. You can achieve investment returns that beat the pants off even the best investment professionals and the top academics. In fact, you can learn how it's possible to more than double the annual returns of the stock market averages.

Although I am something of an investor and know a bit about the stock market already, I found the simplistic explanations here very good and informative.
The author's explanations on what stocks "are" are concise and easy to follow. A bit of humor and entertainment mixed in makes this a good listen.

Dont expect a ground shattering get rich quick scheme out of this. Rather, if you want an investment strategy to consider as a longer term option, this one may have something. (that's not to say I am going to follow this, but its food for thought)

Rich Dad's Advisors: Sales Dogs - You Do Not Have to Be an Attack Dog to Be Successful in Sales

By knowing the five basic breeds of people - the Pit Bull, the Golden Retriever, the Poodle, the Chihuahua, and the Basset Hound - readers will have the necessary insight to improve their business and selling savvy. With an introduction by Robert T. Kiyosaki.

Ok, I am a big Kiyosaki fan. Robert, if you are reading this, please take more care with your "Rich Dad" liscence.

This book may have some good sales content / learning / whatever. I am really not sure becuase I cannot stand to listen to it any more (I think I got half way through, my sense of time got a bit distorted). It feels like every sentence is a pun about dogs. "bone up" "take time to Paws" "in the Kennel" "groom for show" etc. etc. etc.

I found myself in a half-wince waiting for the next awful dog pun to make me groan.

In general, I like the idea of a word picture / extended analogy. They are good learning devices - so the idea of understaning sales styles via dog breeds appealed to me.

Next thing I know I am rolling over in the dog house wishing I was chasing frisbees. I mean, I thought I would go after this like a pit bull, but found that the narrator was like a chiuaua nipping at my ears. I thought I could bone up and collar some sales understanding, but instead I found myself chained up on a leash, wishing I could go for a walk in the park.

So, if you like the previous paragraph I just wrote and think you can stand that intnsity for a few hours of audible, then look no further than Sales Dogs.

100 People Who Are Screwing Up America (And Al Franken is #37)

Bernard Goldberg takes dead aim at the America Bashers (the cultural elites who look down their snobby noses at "ordinary" Americans and detest so much of what this country is about); the Hollywood Blowhards (incredibly ditzy celebrities who think they're smart just because they're famous); the TV Schlockmeisters (including the one whose show has been compared to a churning mass of maggots devouring rotten meat); the Intellectual Thugs, and many more.

I liked this book and laughed, nodded, agreed quite a bit- mainly because I am a conservative libertarian.

I was hoping for a bit more balanced view of 100 wackos that would also cover some of the right wing "kooks" as well- maybe challenge some of the things that I believe in that others may find wacky. No luck here.

So, it boils down to this: If you are conservative at heart, you will find yourself agreeing and laughing and enjoying this one. If you are liberal and you can "laugh at yourself" you will probably hang in there for the first 1/3 of the book before you wish you burned your credit on "It Takes a Villiage" or some such.

This American Life Special Collection: Favorite Shows You May Have Missed

When Audible asked host Ira Glass and his staff to dive into a decade of great This American Life episodes, they certainly dug deep! They selected five favorites that might surprise long-time listeners - and will certainly be a real treat for newer fans. And if that's not enough, this special collection features Ira's brand-new introductions in which he tells the behind-the-scenes story of each program.

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